


The Cult of the Pharoahs

by Cheriluvs10



Category: Fleetwood Mac (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Ancient Egypt, Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-28 23:50:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 21,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10842048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheriluvs10/pseuds/Cheriluvs10
Summary: Buckingham/ Nicks. Rumours era. When Stevie and Richard are abducted by a secret Egyptian cult, the remaining band members and Ken must fight to save them before they are turned into living gods.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

San Francisco, California. A secret underground location... 

The high priest slowly descended the stone staircase down into the ritual chamber inside their living quarters. He could hear his disciples chanting, their voices merging together in a hypnotic monotone that was strangely soothing to him. He was dressed in the ancient way, heavy linen loincloth and the skin of a leopard draped across his chest and secured with a copper stickpin that had a carved head of the Egyptian god Anubis for the tip. He wore straw sandals and had shaved his head and body completely. Finally, he had used traditional kohl makeup to outline his eyes and draw on his eyebrows. If anyone had seen him, they would have sworn he was an actor in an ancient Egyptian movie. 

But this was no movie. 

He reached the bottom of the steps and glanced at the statues flanking either side of the wide doorway. Wooden likenesses of Isis and Osiris stood guard there, the Egyptian god of the underworld and his beloved sister and consort. He bowed low to Osiris and as he bowed low to Isis, he said to himself. 

"Soon, my lord and lady, you will be reborn into this Earthly realm and then you shall rule the world." 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Sausalito, California. The Record Plant... 

Richard opened the door to Studio A and entered, a cup of coffee in his hand. It'd been two months into Fleetwood Mac's latest project and the stress and strain were taking their toll on him. He was tired and his nerves were on edge. His best friends, Stevie and Lindsey were at each other's throats half the time while John and Christine barely spoke to each other and Mick was having troubles at home. Only his friend, Ken, seemed to be the sane one of the bunch. Ken was currently sitting at the mixing board getting things ready when Richard sank into his seat beside his friend. He rubbed Scooter's head when he poked it out from under the mixing board and began sipping his coffee. 

"Morning, fellow inmate of the asylum," Ken said, glancing at him. 

"Heh, inmate is right," Richard said. "Its becoming nuttier with each passing day here." 

"How you holding up?" 

Richard took a sip of coffee while he thought. 

"Well as can be expected, considering my two best friends are feuding in front of my eyes," he said, staring at the ceiling. 

"I'm sorry, man," Ken said. 

"Yeah. Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later, given their history. I just wish it'd happened when I wasn't around to witness it." 

Ken gave him a sympathetic look. He was about to speak when the studio door opened and Mick strolled in. 

"Morning, all," he said, strolling over to his engineers. 

"Morning, Mick," Ken said, turning in his seat to look at him. 

"Hey..." Mick and Ken looked at Richard when he spoke in a listless tone of voice. 

Richard was still staring up at the ceiling, a melancholy look on his face. Mick put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Anything wrong, mate?," Mick said to Richard. 

"As I was telling Ken, I'm witnessing the disintegration of my best friends' relationship so I'm a bit bummed about it right now," Richard said, turning his head to look at Mick. 

Mick nodded and squeezed his shoulder. 

"Anything I can do?," Mick said gently. 

Richard shook his head. 

"No, I'll be okay, promise," he said, forcing a smile onto his face. 

Mick wasn't entirely sure about that but he wasn't going to press the issue. Richard came highly recommended by Stevie and Lindsey after the first engineers they had hired weren't up to snuff. In the past two months, Richard had not only proved himself a capable engineer but also an empathetic ear and a defacto shrink for the group. Mick liked him. He was a sweet guy and easy to work with. He didn't want to lose him to the same pressures everyone was going through but he felt sure that he would revert to his professional self when the time came to work on the tracks. 

"If you need to talk, mate, I'm here," Mick said. 

Richard smiled at that and thanked him. Mick squeezed his shoulder and walked away while Richard sipped his coffee and forced his mind to focus on the day and the business at hand. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"Bullshit, Lindsey, I was not off key!," Stevie said to Lindsey. 

They sat across from each other on stools inside the iso booth. Hanging down from the ceiling and positioned in between them was the microphone. The two of them had been working on harmonies when Lindsey suddenly stopped everyone in mid song to point out the mistake. 

"Yes, you were, Stevie, I heard it," Lindsey retorted. "I have an ear for music, you know." 

"No, you have an ear for bullshit!" 

Richard sighed and he and Ken shared a glance. 

"Thirty minutes into the start of the session and they're already arguing, that's gotta be a record," Richard said sarcastically to Ken. 

Ken shook his head and pressed the microphone button. 

"Guys, come on, it was a mistake, let's move on," he said to Stevie and Lindsey. 

"It was not a mistake, Ken. I didn't make a mistake!," Stevie said, pointing at Lindsey as she watched Ken through the glass. "He stopped us because he's being an asshole towards me!" 

"That's right, Stevie. I did this on purpose to spite you and now we get to go back to the beginning and start again. I just looove doing that," Lindsey said in a snide voice. 

Stevie threw up her hands, hopped off her stool and stomped out the door. 

"Sorry, it's too early to deal with the son of a bitch," she said as she walked past Richard and Ken. "Get the others to work with Miss Priss in there, I'm done for the day." 

"You're such an infant, Stevie," Lindsey yelled as she walked towards the studio door. "Go run to mommy and daddy and whine to them. I don't wanna see you either!" 

Richard winced and sighed as Stevie slammed the door as hard as she could. 

"Stupid fucking bitch," Lindsey muttered to himself as he hopped off his stool. 

Richard and Ken watched as Lindsey walked over to the wall and pounded on it, screaming in frustration. 

"Someday, we'll look back on all this and laugh," Ken said to Richard as Lindsey kicked the wall. 

Richard said nothing, getting up out of his chair. 

"Rich, where are you going," Ken said, fearing his friend was walking out too. 

Richard turned to him and let a world weary sigh escape his lips. 

"Going to do what I do best, Ken. Be the group therapist," he said before he followed Stevie out the studio door.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two 

"God damn that son of a bitch!" 

Stevie was sitting at the mixing board in Studio B muttering to herself. The studio was empty and completely quiet, save for her angry curses at her former lover. 

"God, why did I ever fall in love with you, Lindsey Buckingham," she said as she stared at the darkened iso booth in front of her. "Biggest mistake I ever fuckin' made, falling in love with you. I hope you burn in fucking Hell!" 

She sighed angrily when she heard the studio door open off to her right. 

"Damn it, can't you leave me alone for two fucking seconds, Lindsey," she yelled, her eyes still on the iso booth. 

"I'm not Lindsey." 

Stevie's eyes widened. She jerked her body around in the seat and saw Richard standing by the door, his face mournful. Instantly, her demeanor changed and her anger ebbed away. 

"Richard, I'm sorry," she said, standing up. "I thought you were..." 

"Lindsey. I know. I could hear you cursing him through the door." 

Stevie sunk down in her seat while Richard closed the studio door and walked over to the empty chair beside her. Stevie put her hand on his arm when he sunk down into the seat with a weary sigh. 

"I'm sorry, Richard," she said gently. 

"What's going on, Stevie? Why is this happening?" 

Stevie shook her head as she stared at her feet. 

"I don't know, Richard, I don't know what went wrong," she said, staring at the floor. "All I know is me and Lindsey can barely stand each other now. We're always at each other's throats. Sometimes I think we'd been better off being Buckingham Nicks. I'm sorry, Richard. I know it hurts you to see us like this. I try to keep the peace but Lindsey won't..." 

"Quit baiting you?" 

Stevie nodded. 

"He knows me, Richard. He knows me so well that he can push my buttons anytime he wants. And I can't stop myself from retaliating. If I try to ignore him, it just gets worse." 

Richard nodded. 

"He doesn't let up till there's a confrontation," he said. 

"Yes. And since we're in the same band, I can't escape him. Oh Richard, I never should have told Mick to hire you as an engineer. I know this is affecting you, I'm not blind. I even told Lindsey that we're hurting you but he doesn't seem to care. It's like your friendship means nothing to him." 

"My friendship doesn't mean as much to him as your love and affection does. That's why he doesn't care if I'm affected," Richard said. "He's in pain, Stevie. That's why he's lashing out. That's why he's flaunting Carol Ann. He wants you, not her. She's just a pale substitute. But I think he's hoping to make you jealous enough to go back to him. Carol Ann is like you in many ways, you know." 

Stevie snorted. 

"Yeah. She even has my birthday," she said, rolling her eyes. 

Stevie looked at her friend and put her hand on his shoulder. 

"Please don't walk out, don't leave, please. I know I'm being selfish by asking you to stay in this hell but you're one of the reasons I haven't walked out myself. Seeing you there day after day gives me strength. You, Ken and Chris are the best things about this whole situation. You three are the ones I feel most comfortable being with now. I know you three will listen and treat me with respect." 

"You don't trust Mick or John?" 

"It's...not that I don't trust them. It's just...well, John drinks all the time and he's always angry at Chris and when he's not, he wants to be by himself and will talk as little as possible. Mick's only concerned with band harmony and keeping us from breaking up. He listens but I know he's only concerned with self preservation so he can have his livelihood. So I don't feel comfortable talking to them like I can talk to you. You know me so well too, Rich. You were there before we joined the band so you are the one I can open up to and tell personal stuff to. And I know you'll keep it private. I can't say that for Mick." 

"Well I'm glad you trust me that much, Stevie." 

Stevie took his hand. 

"Do you think we made a mistake, Rich, joining the band?" 

She studied his face while he thought that over. Finally, he shook his head. 

"I don't know, Stevie, I really don't. You weren't doing very well as Buckingham Nicks but maybe...if you'd found someone besides Polydor to promote your album, it might have taken off. On the other hand, maybe you being here is what was meant to be and that's why the album failed." 

"Destiny." 

Richard nodded. Stevie gazed at him for a moment before she scooted her chair over. She put her arms around him and Richard smiled as he returned the hug. They held each other for several minutes, sitting in silence while Richard rubbed her back. 

"I'm glad you're here, Richard," Stevie finally murmured. "I just wish things were different." 

"Me too but things will get better." 

Stevie looked at him. 

"You believe that?" 

"I have to Otherwise, I'd give in to despair." 

Stevie nodded and fell silent again, letting her friend hold and soothe her. 

"Stevie, are you doing anything tonight?" 

Stevie looked at him. 

"Not really, why," she said. 

"I need to stay a bit late tonight to work on a couple of things. Stay with me instead of riding home with Chris and we'll go out to eat and I'll take you home, my treat." 

"You sure?" 

Richard nodded. 

"Yeah. But I really need to get back in the studio and help Ken and do my job. We can talk more tonight at dinner." 

Stevie nodded. 

"Yes. I'd like that. Okay, I'll stay then." 

"Good. And ignore Lindsey. He's an ignoramus." 

Stevie giggled. 

"That your psychological opinion of him?," she teased. 

"Yes. Because Freud used the term ignoramus frequently, especially with masterbaters." 

Stevie laughed at that and Richard smiled warmly. 

"See, this is why I'm glad you're here. You know how to cheer people up," she said. 

She kissed his cheek before letting go of him. 

"So...are you ready to go back into the hurricane?," Richard asked her. 

"Ready when you are," Stevie said. 

She took his hand as he stood up. Richard squeezed it as the two of them headed for the studio door.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three 

The High Priest sat in his office staring at several newspaper clippings. Some of the articles had photos with them and some did not but all of them were about Fleetwood Mac. Ever since Fleetwood Mac rose to prominence, the High Priest had been fascinated with them to the point of obsession, especially Stevie Nicks. He had read everything that he could get his hands on about her and he was convinced she was the perfect vessel for Isis. Osiris's vessel wasn't as obvious but he knew about Stevie's relationship with Lindsey Buckingham and he decided that perhaps he would do. He knew from the articles that they were in Sausilito, at a building called the Record Plant. He had obtained the address for the Record Plant and after much planning, he finally decided it was time to act. 

He looked at his office door when he heard knocking. 

"Enter," he said loudly. 

The door opened and the man he'd been expecting entered. His name was Meren and he was the second oldest man after him and his second in command. He helped him lead the others and the High Priest trusted him implicitly. "You wished to see me, my lord?," Meren said after bowing to him. Meren gestured to a wooden chair in front of his desk and told him to sit. Meren sat down and folded his hands in his lap, waiting for his superior to begin talking. "I have decided that tonight is the night when we will obtain the vessels," the High Priest said. 

He handed Meren a clipping that had a photo of Fleetwood Mac with it. The High Priest had circled Stevie and Lindsey. 

"The ones I have circled are the ones I want you to obtain. Take several of your followers and go to this location," he added, handing him a slip of paper with the Record Plant's address on it. "Use any means at your disposal to get them but I want them relatively unharmed. Make sure they are drugged before you return so they won't know where they are. The last thing we want is for them to escape and alert others of our presence." 

"As you wish, my lord," Meren said, nodding his head. 

"Go. Prepare for departure and do not fail me." 

"I will not fail you, my lord." 

The High Priest dismissed him with a wave of his hand. He watched Meren gone and as soon as the door was closed, he returned to his thoughts. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

After their talk, things improved in the studio. Lindsey was still angry but he refrained from lashing out at Stevie and worked peacefully with her. Ken was overjoyed. 

"You are a miracle worker, my friend," he had said to Richard. 

Richard had found out from Ken that the band had given Lindsey a severe tongue lashing in his absence with the result that Lindsey held his tongue for the rest of the day. Seeing Richard leave the room scared him too since he also didn't want him to walk out. Despite everything, he still considered Richard his best friend. 

As the day neared its conclusion, people slowly started to leave when there was nothing further for them to do. Eventually, only Richard, Ken and Stevie were left. Stevie sat on the couch at the back of the room, knitting and listening to the two engineers working on mixing the tracks and discussing what they wanted to do. She could only half follow their conversation, since a great deal of it was technical jargon but their hushed and calm voices soothed her, especially compared to Lindsey and John's screaming and bellowing. 

Eventually, Ken left with Scooter after kissing Stevie's cheek and telling her to get some rest and relax. After he left, she moved to Ken's seat and sat beside Richard, watching as he finished up work on the tracks. 

"Why did Ken leave if you're not finished," she finally asked him. 

"Ken's taking Scooter to the vet. Our little mascot wasn't feeling well last night and he didn't improve today so he asked me if he could leave early before the vet closed. Don't worry, I'm nearly finished, just tweaking a few things." 

As he worked, they discussed where they wanted to go eat before settling on Italian. Then they made small talk for a half hour until at last Richard was finished. He stood up, stretched his back and smiled at Stevie as he pulled his car keys out of his jean pocket. 

"I need to shut everything down so if you wanna wait for me in the car, you can," he said to her. "I won't be long." 

Stevie thanked him, took the car keys, gathered up her things and walked out while Richard put things away and turned everything off. 

By the time she got outside, it was nearly eight o'clock. The parking lot was deserted, except for Richard's car. A couple of streetlights illuminated the lot but the surrounding area was shadowy and quiet. Richard's car was on the other side of the lot and Stevie glanced around before making a beeline towards it. 

Halfway to Richard's car, she heard a noise coming from behind her and froze. She turned around slowly, hoping it was Richard but all she saw was the large brown building that housed the studio. She stared at the building, getting the creeps from being alone. Then she thought she saw something move in the shadows on the side of the building and suddenly she just wanted to be back inside with Richard and wait for him.   
She began to walk quickly towards the studio entrance but she only managed five steps before a group of people stepped from the shadows and stood at the corner of the building, staring at her silently. 

There were six people, all dressed in black with hoods over their faces like ninjas. There was an oval opening around the eyes and Stevie could see that the people had blackened the exposed skin to blend it in with their outfits. Stevie's heart beat out of her chest and she looked back over her shoulder at Richard's car, calculating the distance between it and her. She looked at the people and swallowed hard when half of them moved to block the entrance while the others moved towards her. 

"I have a friend inside and he knows how to fight so don't fuck with me," Stevie said, hating how her voice quavered despite the fact she was trying to sound tough. "I mean it, he's very protective of me." 

She swallowed again when the people kept on coming towards her. She looked back at the car, decided that was her best bet and took off running for it, sprinting towards the driver's side door. Her heart sprinted with her as she heard the sounds of pursuit in her ears. 

"RICHARD, HELP! HELP ME!," she screamed as she ran. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Richard had finished shutting down and locking up. He was heading towards the front, getting his coat on, when he heard Stevie's screaming. He froze for a few seconds in shock before he sped blindly towards the front door. 

He burst through it and he gasped when he saw five figures clothed in black trying to restrain Stevie while another stood by and poured something from a little brown bottle into a folded handkerchief. 

"LET HER GO!" 

The people froze momentarily and everyone stared at Richard as he walked towards them in a rage. 

"LET HER GO OR YOU'LL BE SORRY," he bellowed at them as he picked up his pace. 

He froze when two of the attackers split off from the rest and headed towards him. Richard's eyes darted from one to the other, sizing them up. He couldn't see any guns on them but that didn't mean they weren't concealed. By now, the others had stopped Stevie from flailing and they were holding her tight while the guy with the handkerchief came towards her. Richard knew he didn't have time to fiddly fart around with the two in front of him so he tensed his body and suddenly sprinted at one of them with his head down, cannonballing into his chest. Pain shot through his head and neck during the impact but the guy was knocked down and Richard leapt over him and ran on towards Stevie. He smirked when he saw the others were caught between attacking him or keeping ahold of Stevie so three were occupied which left him with three to deal with for the moment. 

But just as he reached them, a weight came down hard on the back of his head. Richard had time to let out a grunt, feel a sharp pain and hear Stevie's horrified scream before darkness consumed his senses.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four 

Meren stood with his superior inside the room where the captives were being held. The room was a windowless, interior room with bare cement walls and a steel door. There was a vent in the ceiling that provided air. Other that that the only other things in the room was a mattress and bedding, brass chamberpot and a roll of toilet paper. Lying side by side on the mattress was Stevie and an unfamiliar man. Both captives had been drugged and posed no threat but the High Priest was furious at his acolyte. 

"Who is this?," he said, pointing to Richard. "This is not who I sent you to get!" 

"I know, my lord, but he was there with the woman. He tried to protect her so one of my men knocked him out and we took him with us. We searched the building and no one else was there." 

The High Priest stared at the man while Meren watched him nervously, certain he was going to be punished. 

"Bring the man to the interrogation room, tie him up and revive him. I want to find out who he is. As for Stevie, keep her sedated until the morning and check on her periodically." 

"Yes, my lord," Meren said, relieved he was not going to be punished. "Can we use the man?" 

"Perhaps. But I want to determine his level of intelligence. I do not want Osiris to be reborn into the body of an imbecile. Now go and prepare him." 

Meren bowed and left the room. Once he was gone, the High Priest walked over to Richard, knelt down and examined him. 

"You are young and you look healthy and strong," he muttered as he examined his captive, " that definitely works in your favor. But I have never seen you before so who are you?" 

He thought for a moment. 

"You were willing to risk your life and fight six men alone and unarmed to protect Stevie so my guess is you are more than a mere janitor or employee of the Record Plant. Stevie must be precious to you, which also works in your favor. Perhaps you can be of use after all. I would rather use you than risk my disciples again by trying to take Lindsey. Anyway, we shall find out soon enough." 

He stood up and checked over the captives one last time before leaving the room. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Ken sighed angrily as he neared the Record Plant. He'd meant to take home a few of the tape reels when he left, to play them on his personal tape player and make some notes for him and Richard to use the next day without the drama and distractions of the studio. 

He'd been so concerned about Scooter's health that taking the reels slipped his mind until he got to the vet. After leaving Scooter overnight at the vet, he got back in his car and drove back. 

As he neared the Record Plant's parking lot, he was shocked to see Richard's car was still there. He frowned and checked his wristwatch and saw it was nearly nine thirty. 

"Jesus, Richard, there wasn't that much left to do. What are you doing, completely reworking the songs?," he muttered to himself. 

He pulled into the parking lot and slammed on the brakes. In his headlights, he could see Stevie's possessions scattered on the ground along with a set of car keys. His blood turning to ice, Ken put the car in park and left it where it was. He left it running and got out, running over to the items. 

Stevie's knitting and journal and pens were scattered on the ground. Ken snatched up the car keys and looked them over, confirming his worst fear when he recognized them as Richard's. Calling his friends' names, he ran around the parking lot, searched some of the surrounding woods and finally, ran inside. He stopped short when he saw Richard's rumpled coat lying on the floor near the entrance. 

"Oh God," he murmured as he ran to Studio A. 

He tried the door, found it locked and used his key to unlock it. He searched the studio but nothing was out of place in there. He ran back out, ran up to the receptionists desk and grabbed the phone. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Richard gasped as he suddenly regained consciousness. His mind groggy and his head hurting, he looked around as his eyes focused. He was sitting in an iron chair that was bolted to the floor in the middle of the room. He looked to his left and his eyes widened when he saw a large metal rack that was filled with knives, swords and torture implements. He tried to get up to get to the closed iron door he saw near the rack and grunted when he realized he was strapped to the chair with thick leather straps. A single dim light shone down on him and so he couldn't see the entire room. He looked around and swallowed hard to try to relieve  his severely dry throat. 

"Stevie," he said in a raspy voice as he tried to see into the unlit areas of the room. "Stevie, hon, are you there?" 

"She is not here." 

Richard's eyes darted to a dark spot near the door and a man emerged from it into the light. Richard raised his eyebrows, certain he still had fucked up vision. The man was dressed like he'd walked off the set of the Cleopatra movie. 

"The fuck is this?," he muttered to himself as he watched the man approach him. 

The man stopped in front of him and looked him over while Richard gazed at him in confusion. 

"Who are you?," the man said to him. 

"Who are you?," Richard retorted. "Where am I, what is this, where is Stevie and is this a joke?" 

"Joke?" 

"Yeah. Is this some elaborate joke Ken and the band thought up for a laugh?" 

"I can assure you this is no joke." 

"Really? Because people don't normally walk around dressed like King Tut in the twentieth century." 

The man smirked. 

"Ah yes, I suppose my clothes are a bit odd to you." 

"No shit, buddy. So who are you?" 

"My name is Pamu. It means the Lion," he said, puffing his chest out. 

"Yeah? My name is Richard. It means, let me and Stevie go or you're gonna regret it." 

"Ah yes, what exactly is you relationship to Stevie?" 

Richard raised his eyebrow. 

"Wait a moment, is this Lindsey's doing? Is he trying to find out if I'm screwing his girl in a very...weird bizarro way?" 

"I can assure you this not a joke, this is very real." 

"Then why are you dressed like that, Shamu?" 

"My name is Pamu," he said, bristling," high priest of the Cult of Osiris. Now, I will ask again. What is your relationship to Stevie?" 

"I'm her friend and the engineer for her band. Fleetwood Mac, may have heard of it?" 

"Engineer? So you drive a train?" 

Richard sighed. 

"Engineer as in recording engineer. Someone who works on music and turns them into albums...and I mean music albums, not photo albums. Now what have you done with Stevie?" 

"So you are a friend?," Pamu said, ignoring him. 

Richard glared at him. 

"Yes," he spat out, "I am her friend. Satisfied?" 

"Nothing more than that? You are not her lover?" 

"Shit, this is Lindsey's doing. Look, tell Lindsey I'm not fucking his woman so he can aim his jealous mind elsewhere!" 

"You are merely her friend yet you risked your life to defend her." 

"I care deeply for her, alright? Doesn't mean I'm fucking her!" 

"You are quite a loyal friend." 

"I try to be. I don't like backstabbing so I don't backstab others. Stevie and I have been friends for five years now and I'm not about to stand by and watch a bunch of...weirdos assault her. Now where is she?" 

"She's resting comfortably." 

"Okay. If this isn't a joke I want to see her because I really don't trust a man who dresses like Yul Brenner." 

Pamu didn't reply. Richard narrowed his eyes while the man studied him. Finally, Pamu nodded. 

"You will do," he said. 

"Do what?" 

"Be a vessel." 

Richard was thrown for a loop. 

"Vessel? Blood vessel?," he said. 

"No. Your body will be a vessel, a container." 

"For what?," Richard said, not sure he wanted to know the answer. 

"The god, Osiris, and Stevie shall be the vessel for Isis." 

Richard jerked on the straps holding him down. 

"If you hurt Stevie in any way, I'll fucking kill you," he snarled. 

Pamu chuckled. 

"Yes. You'll do just nicely," he said as Richard narrowed his eyes. "This meeting is over now." 

"Where is Stevie, you crazy mother fucker?," Richard said, trying to break free while Pamu walked back into the darkness. "I'll kill you if you did something to her, I swear I will!" 

He shut up when Pamu came back into the light with a folded handkerchief similar to the one he saw about to be used on Stevie. He swallowed hard. Somehow he knew the handkerchief wasn't for blowing his nose. 

"Tomorrow, we will begin the process of conversion. Tonight, you and Stevie will sleep." 

Before Richard could say something, Pamu shoved the handkerchief against his nose, ramming his head against the back of the chair. Richard tried to turn his head, but Pamu held his head in place until the chloroform in the handkerchief rendered him unconscious.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five 

Ken sighed as the policeman walked away. After realizing his friends were missing, he called both the band and the police. Now everyone was standing in the parking lot while the police cordoned off the area with crime scene tape, took photos, interviewed Ken and searched the area. Ken told them everything he knew, which wasn't much. He felt uncomfortable though when the police asked him if there was anyone who might wish to harm Stevie or Richard. He said no for both of them but he couldn't help but think of Lindsey when they asked the question about Stevie. But Ken knew, as bad as things were, that Lindsey would never do something like this to Stevie or to Richard. He cared for the two of them far too much to do something malicious like this. 

Besides, he could tell Lindsey was beside himself as he stood by the studio's front doors. Chris was standing with him, her hand on his shoulder and a sympathetic look on her face. Ken walked over to them.  

"Hey, buddy," Ken said to Lindsey as he walked up. 

Lindsey was bereft. His eyes were dull and Ken could tell he'd been crying earlier. 

"Who did this to them?," Lindsey said while Chris squeezed his shoulder. "I could see maybe a crazy fan taking Stevie but Richard...why him?" 

"He might have been taken while trying to protect Stevie," Christine said, "or to keep him from telling us or the police anything." 

Lindsey shook his head. 

"I last spoke to Stevie in anger. My last words to her were hate filled and now she and Richard might be lying dead in a ditch somewhere." 

"No," Ken said, shaking his head, "you can't think like that. Not till we have absolute proof that they're dead." 

"You didn't find a ransom note, anything?," Lindsey said. 

Ken shook his head and Lindsey slumped against the front door, heartbroken. Ken looked over as Mick and John walked up. Both men were as heartbroken as their friend and Ken thought it ironic that it took the kidnapping of two of their friends to bring everyone closer together. Mick smiled sadly at Ken and put a hand on his shoulder while John stood beside Mick, staring quietly at the ground. 

"Police are searching Richard's car,"  Mick said quietly. "The doors were locked though so I doubt there's any clues in there." 

"I searched the studio. Didn't find anything out of the ordinary," Ken said. "I think from what I saw that Stevie was approached in the parking lot as she was going to Rich's car. She probably yelled for help and Rich was starting to put his coat on while going towards the front door. He heard Stevie, dropped the coat, ran out and they took them from there. That's my theory. So I think Mick's right, the car doesn't have any clues and neither does the building. Everything happened in the parking lot." 

Mick sighed. 

"I just hope they wanted them alive and didn't drag them into the woods somewhere," he said, glancing at the trees around the property. 

He winced when a choked cry came from Lindsey's throat. He apologized to him as he walked forward and hugged him. 

"They're alive, mate," Mick said to Lindsey. "And we're gonna get them back alive." 

"And if they aren't alive, I'll make sure the bastards that killed them won't be breathing either," Lindsey growled, steely resolve in his eyes. 

Ken watched everyone quietly before he turned and walked to the edge of the road. He put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the stars in the sky. 

"Richard," he said softly as he looked up, " I know you're alive, buddy. I know you're both alive. And wherever you and Stevie are, watch over her, Rich, and guard her until we can find and rescue you. And I swear if either of you are harmed, I'll make the bastards pay dearly for it." 

"As will I." 

Ken looked over his shoulder and saw Chris standing behind him. 

"I heard your vow and I echo it. And I also know they're both alive. We would know it if they were dead. Stevie, especially, would have given us a sign." 

Ken nodded. He opened his arms and he and Chris held each other tightly. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"Please? Please can I have a peek?" 

"Ata, I shouldn't be doing this, we could get in trouble!" 

"But I want to see her, please? If I get caught, I won't tell who let me in. And I'll lock the door when I'm done." 

"Oh, alright, but bring the key back as soon as your done." 

"I promise." 

The man grumbled and pulled the door key out of the leather pouch he kept tied to a leather belt at his waist. Ata stood behind him, watching as he turned the lock and opened the door. 

"Be quick about it.," the man said to her, "before the high priest finds out."   
Ata nodded. She waved the man away from the door and watched as he hurried away. She watched him turn the corner at the end of the corridor before going inside. She closed the door quietly behind her and walked towards the mattress. Lying on it was Stevie Nicks and a man she didn't recognize. She knelt down beside the man, gazing at him. She pushed most of her long brown hair behind her left ear when it fell in her eyes. She reached out and gently touched the man's face. He didn't respond but she didn't expect him to, since he and Stevie were drugged. She couldn't help but think him handsome though as she stroked his left cheek. Then she reached into a pouch similar to the one the man had and pulled out a small brown bottle of smelling salts. She uncorked the bottle and waved the bottle under Richard's nose. After several seconds, Richard gasped and his eyes shot open. Ata put her hand over his mouth and put her finger to her lips. She slowly removed her hand and put it in her lap when Richard said nothing. Then Richard looked around and gasped when he saw Stevie. 

"Stevie," he said, turning on his side to look at her, "Stevie, there you are. Oh God, you're alive." 

"Is she your girlfriend," Ata asked. 

"No, one of my best friends, someone I care for deeply. Stevie? Honey, wake up. It's me, Richard." 

"Richard," Ata said softly, "You look like a Richard." 

"Why won't she wake up," Richard said, rolling onto his back. 

"She's still drugged." 

"Why am I awake then?" 

"Smelling salts," Ata said, showing him the bottle. 

"Wake Stevie up then." 

"I...can't, I really shouldn't have woken you up." 

"Please. Please, I won't tell anyone you did this. I'll say we woke up on our own. I just want to know if she's alright." 

Ata hesitated before she uncorked the bottle. She handed it to Richard and hr held it under Stevie's nose. When Stevie woke suddenly, Richard put his hand on her cheek. 

"Stevie, it's okay, it's alright, I'm here," he said as Stevie looked around in confusion. 

Her eyes found Richard's and she let out a little cry of joy. Richard handed the bottle back to Ata before they embraced each other. 

"Richard, oh God, I was scared they were going to kill you," Stevie said as she held Richard tight. "They knocked me out and the last thing I saw was you laying there on the ground. I thought I'd never see you again." 

"Did they hurt you before they knocked you out?" Richard said. 

"No." 

"Thank God," Richard breathed as he held her tightly. 

He noticed she was looking over his shoulder and he looked around at Ata. 

"You're Stevie Nicks. You sing Rhiannon," Ata said. 

"Yes. Who are you," Stevie said. 

"My original name is Rachael but now I'm Ata." 

"Now?," Richard said. "What prompted the name change?" 

"My mom brought me here when she decided to follow the high priest and his teachings." 

"You mean the nutjob I talked to earlier?" Ata nodded. 

"Yeah. He's the leader." 

"Why are you dressed like Ancient Egypt or something," Stevie said. 

"Because that's who we worship here. The High Priest believes Ancient Egypt was the greatest culture ever and everyone needs to return to the old ways. My mom agrees. I don't but I had to come with her when she came here." 

"How old are you?," Richard said. 

"Fourteen." 

"What about your dad? Is he here too?," Stevie said 

"No, he died when I was three," Ata said. 

"I'm sorry," Stevie said. 

Ata nodded. 

"What about your grandparents?," Richard said. "Relatives? No one wants to take you away from here?" 

"My relatives live in Connecticut. My mom cut off contact with them when we moved out here." 

"Where's here?," Richard said. 

"San Fran." Richard raised up on his elbows. 

"So we're still in the area. We aren't halfway across the country," he said, hope building in his heart. 

"No but we're deep underground in some military bunker." 

"Bunker?," Richard said, thinking."By the Presidio then or under it?" 

"I don't know. I don't know the city. We came straight here." 

"Richard, if we're that close, we could get a message to the others," Stevie said. 

"Can you help us contact our friends so we can tell them where we are?," Richard said to Ata. 

"I can't. There's no way to call someone and all the exits are guarded day and night." 

"Shit," Richard muttered. 

He thought for a moment before looking at Ata. 

"Nutty told me we're going to be vessels for someone. What is he talking about?" 

"The gods Osiris and Isis. The high priest wants them to live on Earth so they can rule it like ancient Egypt. He needs a man and a woman to be their bodies." 

"What?," Stevie said. "How is he supposed to do that?" 

"Magic, I think," Ata said. 

"Oh shit. We got abducted by David Copperfield's looney cousin," Richard said. "He honestly thinks it's going to work?" 

Ata nodded. Richard groaned. 

"Suddenly, Lindsey screaming at you doesn't sound so bad," Richard said to Stevie. "At least he's sane...sorta" 

"Who are you though?," Ata said to Richard. "I've seen pictures of Fleetwood Mac but I don't recognize you." 

"I'm not in the band. I'm one of two people who are helping to make their next album." 

"More? There's gonna be another album?" 

"Eventually, yes. If we can get outta here to finish it," Richard said. "You're a fan?" 

Ata nodded. 

"I had the album with Rhiannon on.it before we moved away. Did you make that one?" 

"No, my mentor did," Richard said. 

"This is the first Fleetwood Mac album I've ever done." 

"Are you sure there isn't a way to contact the outside world," Stevie said. 

"The only phone is with the high priest and when he's not near it, the room is locked and guarded." 

Richard cursed under his breath again. Still, he was thankful that someone seemed to be on their side in here. Perhaps, they could find a way to escape by working together. While he thought, he noticed Ata reach into her pouch and his blood ran cold when she pulled out a bottle of chloroform and a handkerchief. 

"No, don't," Richard said, grabbing her arm, "don't put us back under." 

"I got to. I shouldnt have woken you up in the first place. Someone's gonna check on you and if you're awake, they might torture you to get you to tell them who it was." 

Richard sighed and looked at Stevie, resigned to their fate for the moment.   
"Let me put Stevie to sleep first," he said, holding out his hand to Ata. "Give me the handkerchief." 

Ata opened the chloroform bottle, poured a bit into the handkerchief and handed it to Richard. Richard turned to face Stevie who was looking at him fearfully. Richard pushed his own fears aside and gave her a loving look. 

"We're going to get out of this," he said gently to her. "We will escape. Do you hear me?" 

Stevie nodded. 

"You need to finish this album so you can become the superstar you're meant to be. You're not gonna do that ruling as some Egyptian goddess, right?" 

"Right," Stevie whispered. 

"We're gonna see our friends and family again. The people who love us are out there and we're coming back to them, right?" 

"Right," Stevie said with more conviction. 

Richard sighed and looked st the handkerchief, hating that he was doing this to Stevie. He was about to gently put it over her nose when Stevie stopped him by grabbing his wrist. Richard frowned in confusion before Stevie raised her head and kissed his lips. Richard was stunned for a moment before he kissed back. Stevie kissed him firmly for fifteen seconds before ending it. She put her hand on the back of his hand and gently pulled his forehead to hers, holding it there while she listened to Richard's breathing. 

"I'm glad you're here with me, even though I wish we weren't here," she whispered to him. 

"I'm glad too," Richard said softly. 

"Whatever happens, I'm glad you're my friend." 

Richard smiled at that. 

"Me too," he whispered. 

Stevie let go of his head. Richard arranged the pillow under her head and grabbed a folded blanket from the end of the bed, covering her with it. 

"Goodnight, Richard," Stevie whispered. 

"Goodnight, Stevie. Sweet dreams." 

Stevie nodded. 

She kept her eyes on Richard's face as he gently covered her nose with the handkerchief. She kept her eyes locked on his as her eyelids fluttered and grew heavy. Finally, when she drifted off to sleep, Richard put his lips on her forehead, giving her a butterfly kiss before he lay on his back and gave the handkerchief to Ata. Ata put more chloroform in it while Richard arranged the pillow and covers. He took one last look at Stevie before he nodded to Ata. Ata put the handkerchief over his nose and Richard breathed deeply as he stared up at the ceiling. Ata watched him drift off and when he was under, she took the handkerchief away. She leaned in and gave Richard the same butterfly kiss on the forehead that he'd given Stevie. 

"Goodnight, Richard, sweet dreams," Ata whispered to him. 

She then put the bottle and handkerchief back in her pouch and with one last lookvat Richard, she left the room, closed the door and locked it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six 

Ken sat in a plump leather chair, drinking a beer, in the living room of the Record Plant house he shared with the other men. Normally, the house was filled with laughter, shouting and fun but tonight it was deathly quiet and it unnerved him. Mick, Lindsey and John had retired to their rooms instead of running around, goofing off and having fun. No one was invited over for a party and worse of all, Richard was missing. Being a friendly, personable guy, Richard was very popular and well liked and his absence was the main reason the house felt more like a funeral parlor tonight. 

The abduction had been broadcast on all news channels and the house had been besieged by calls from their friends and Stevie, Lindsey and Richard's family wanting to know what was going on. Ken took those calls and they had gone on without stopping for over three hours before that too finally ceased. Scooter was at the vet for the night and Ken felt his absence too, wishing he could at least rub his dog's head and sides for comfort. 

As Ken took another sip of beer, he heard movement behind him and looked around the chair to see Lindsey coming into the room. To his surprise, Lindsey wasn't drunk or stoned since Ken figured he'd be both in order to forget what happened. His eyes were bloodshot but Ken could see dried tear tracks on his cheeks and he knew the red eyes was from weeping, not from drugs. 

"Hi, Lindsey," Ken said gently. 

"Hey," Lindsey said dully as he walked over to the leather couch and sank down onto it. 

Ken said nothing more, watching while his friend stared numbly at the floor in front of him. 

"Can't sleep," Lindsey finally said. 

"Neither can I," Ken said quietly. 

"Calls stopped?," Lindsey said, raising his head. 

Ken nodded. 

"Yeah. I thought they'd never end. All of our friends are going to do everything they can to help though. And Stevie's dad's gonna hire his own private investigator to see if he can help find them." 

Lindsey nodded. 

"Also had to calm down your mom, Barbra Nicks and Lora Dashut. All three mothers were hysterical. Plus Christopher Nicks was pissed, Jess Nicks was pissed, your brothers were pissed and our friends were hysterical and/or pissed. So I listened to hysterical women and pissed off men for over three hours tonight." 

Lindsey nodded again. 

"Chris okay?," he said after a moment's thought. "She's up at that condo by herself now." 

"I told her she could spend the night with us but she said she wanted to stay there in case Stevie and Richard escaped and headed for Stevie's condo. I think she's scared John's gonna get drunk, actually." 

Lindsey shook his head. 

"No one's getting drunk. You're the only one I've seen with a beer tonight." 

"Eh. I've only had this one beer to drink and I'm drinking it to have something to do more than anything else." 

Lindsey nodded. 

"So you don't sit there and think about what might be happening to Stevie and Richard?" 

"Heh. No, the beer's not helping with that," Ken said. 

"I can't stop thinking of them, what they might be going through right now." 

"Yeah. Me too. Even though I shouldn't because all that's doing is tormenting me." 

Lindsey nodded. 

"I keep imagining them in pain. Being tortured. I can't make my mind stop visualizing stuff like that," Lindsey said. 

"That's why I'm surprised you're sober, to be honest." 

"Thought about getting wasted but that won't do anyone any good. Stevie and Richard need us and we can't help them if we're stoned." 

"I agree." 

"Damn it, where are they?," Lindsey muttered to himself. "There must be some way they could contact us." 

"If there is, they'll find it. They're both smart, resourceful people." 

Lindsey nodded. He fell silent for a few minutes, lost in his thoughts, while Ken drank his beer and stared into space. 

"I love her, Ken. I love her so much," Lindsey finally said 

Ken smiled. 

"I know you do, man," he said. 

"And I love Richard as a friend. He's been my best friend since '72. I can't lose them both, Ken, I just can't." 

"Don't think about that. Just think of them being alive and in one piece and making plans to come back to us. You can't think of the alternative or you'll go crazy." 

"I know but it's easier said than done." 

"Yeah, I know," Ken said. "I'm having the same kinds of thoughts and I'm either pushing them out of my mind or concentrating on happier memories instead." 

"When they get back, we're gonna throw the biggest goddamn welcome home party the world has ever seen," Lindsey said. 

Ken chuckled softly and nodded. 

"And We'll hire twenty strippers to give Richard lap dances while I make love to Stevie all night long," Lindsey added. 

Ken grinned at the image of that. 

"And will we get to gather round and watch the lovemaking?," Ken said. 

"Hell, no, I'm taking her somewhere other than here to do that!" 

"Damn. We could sell tickets to your lovemaking and the lap dances and recoup our expenses for the world's biggest party you're planning." 

Ken smiled when Lindsey laughed for the first time in a day and a half. He suddenly felt a bit better and he was sure Lindsey did too. 

"We need to keep joking and laughing through this, to keep our spirits up and out hopes alive," Ken said. "If all we do is dwell on the negative, we'll lose all hope and fall into despair." 

Lindsey nodded. 

"I agree," he said. "Stevie and Richard would want us to do that. I'm sure they're doing the same." 

Ken nodded 

"Hopefully they're together and able to support one another," he said. 

"Yeah. If there's one thing Rich can do, it's boost your spirits." 

Ken nodded. 

"And he'll look out for Stevie. He'll protect her...with his life, if necessary. He'd allow himself to be tortured before letting anyone lay a finger on her," Ken said. 

"That's why in a way I'm glad he was there tonight. You're right. Richard's extremely protective of Stevie, I've seen it many times before. He's the type of guy you'd want watching your back in a fight. And yes, he would die for her, or for any of us, for that matter." 

Ken nodded. 

"If anyone could bring her back to us alive and in one piece, it'd be him," Ken said.

Lindsey watched as Ken fell silent for a moment. 

"There's something else I can't stop thinking about," Ken said. 

"What?" 

"If Scooter hadn't been sick, I wouldn't have left early and I would have been there with them. Me and Scooter." 

"Maybe Scooter would have attacked them, " Lindsey said. 

"No, I think he would have humped their legs actually," Ken said dryly. 

Lindsey chuckled briefly at that. Ken took another sip of beer. 

"In all seriousness, if I was there, the kidnapper or nappers would probably have killed Scooter and taken us. I just can't stop thinking about how close I came to joining Stevie and Richard tonight." 

Lindsey noticed that Ken never said any of them could have been killed, apart from Scooter. But he knew his friend wasn't allowing himself to think along those lines so he didn't lose hope. He was trying hard to do the same but it was a struggle. He forced himself to reason that no one would go through the trouble of taking Stevie Nicks only to kill her, not when she was famous and could be ransomed for a large amount of money. 

Richard was another matter though. Not many people apart from them, their friends and family knew who he was. He had been mentioned in a few recent articles when the press hinted they were working on a new album but he doubted the abductor or tors had read up on him. If Richard had tried to rescue Stevie and fought back, he could have been viewed as a nuisance and a threat and killed. They didn't find any traces of blood anywhere on Record Plant property but... 

Lindsey had this recurring image of Richard being marched into the trees around the Record Plant at gunpoint before being forced to kneel and being shot, execution style, in the back of the head. He had an alternate image of the same scenario where Stevie had been taken with them and the last thing Richard heard before dying was Stevie begging for his life. If Ken had been there, would there have been two execution style killings in the woods? He pushed all that from his mind. His friend was right, they had to stay positive for all their sakes. 

Ken finished his beer and sighed. 

"I might as well try to go to bed and get some sleep before I really do end up drinking to excess," he said. "Besides, we need rest. If our friends need us, we'll be no good to them half asleep." 

Lindsey nodded, knowing he was right. 

"I'll try to sleep too but here on the couch by the phone...just in case," he said, pointing to the phone by Ken's chair. 

"Good idea," Ken said, getting up. 

He walked over, embraced Lindsey for a couple of seconds and told him to try not to worry before wishing him goodnight. Ken took the beer bottle into the kitchen, threw it in the trash and then headed upstairs to his room. Lindsey watched him go and when Ken was in his room with the door shut, Lindsey stretched out on the couch, his head on the armrest as he stared up at the ceiling. 

"God," Lindsey said quietly, " if you're listening, bring Stevie and Richard back to us, safe and sound. I love them both and I need them in my life. Please give us a miracle." 

He fell silent and stared at the ceiling, thinking and silently praying, until his eyelids grew too heavy to keep open and he finally slipped away into a deep, restful sleep


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven 

Richard gasped and his eyes shot open. He looked over and saw a bald man pulling a bottle of smelling salts away from his nose. The man was dressed and shaved like Pamu except he wasn't wearing a leopard skin and he was taller and more muscular. Behind him, Ata stood holding a silver tray filled with food and drink. Richard looked to his right and was relieved to see Stevie was still beside him, alert and unharmed. 

"Good morning," the man said in a deep voice, "we've brought your breakfast to you." 

Richard eyed the food warily at first before reasoning that if they wanted to poison them, it would have been easier to just kill them in their sleep and as for drugging them, why wake them just to drug them all over again. Richard glanced at Ata. 

"It's safe," Ata mouthed to him as she nodded at the food. 

Richard gave her the tiniest of nods before he sat up. Stevie followed suit and Richard kept his eyes on the man in case he tried something with Stevie while Ata came forward and sat the tray down beside the mattress. As she put the tray down, her eyes met with Richard's and he gave her another tiny nod. She stood up and backed away as Richard looked at the food. Two plates of bacon and eggs and buttered toast with two glasses of milk and two of orange juice. Richard watched as the man turned and gestured to Ata to leave. Ata glanced at Richard and Stevie before turning and walking to the door. Richard felt his blood boil as the man shoved Ata from behind when she didn't move fast enough. He winced when the man slammed the heavy iron door, causing his head to ache. 

"Thanks, I really needed that," Richard said, shaking his head. 

"Do you think it's safe to eat," Stevie said to Richard. 

"Ata mouthed to me that it was and I'm inclined to trust her." 

"That poor girl. We have to help her."   
Richard nodded. He handed a plate to Stevie and one glass each of milk and juice. As they started eating, Richard heard a key turning in the lock and groaned. 

"We only get two bites then, I guess," he said  to Stevie as he sat his plate and glass down on the tray. 

But he was surprised to see Ata when she came back into the room and shut the door behind her. 

"That guy gave you the keys?," Richard said in disbelief. 

"No. I never gave back the keys I had last night. That food is safe. I watched them cook it." 

"Hon," Stevie said, "when that man shoved you, does that happen often?" 

"Yeah, I'm the youngest so I get pushed around by everyone else." 

"And your mother doesn't say anything?," Richard said. 

"She doesn't care." 

Richard and Stevie looked at each other. 

"If she doesn't care about you, why did she bring you with her instead of leaving you with relatives?," Stevie said. 

"She used to care but the high priest...changed her mind about me and made her one of his concubines." 

Richard's blood ran cold. 

"One of them? Are you one too?," he said, praying she wasn't. 

He breathed a sigh of relief through his nose when Ata shook her head. 

"I'm too young for him. But my mom acts like he's her whole world." 

Richard shook his head. In the past,  he'd heard Mick talk about Jeremy Spencer and his indoctrination into the Children of God as well as read articles about that incident but that cult and its members were sane compared to their captors and their wacky Egyptian mindset. He knew Stevie was right, they had to take Ata with them. 

"Wackjob said we were going to start preparations for this supposed possession. Do you know what that entails," Richard said to Ata. 

"No. I didn't know he told you that," Ata said. 

"He told you this? When?," Stevie asked Richard. 

"While you were asleep. I was taken to a room and strapped to a chair and woken up to talk to this high priest guy." 

Richard purposely left out the part about the large rack of torture implements in the room. He didn't want Stevie to worry or be scared. He did wonder though if the torture implements figured in the "preparation". 

"You said the exits are guarded," Richard said to Ata. "How many guards?" 

"Usually just one. The high priest convinced everyone to stay." 

"Convinced or brainwashed?," Stevie said. 

"Brainwashed. That's the word I was trying to think of," Ata said, nodding. 

"And your mom is brainwashed too?," Richard said. 

"Yeah, I think so. She doesn't act like herself anymore." 

"We need to get outta here before all of us end up like them," Stevie said. 

"I can try to get to the phone and call for help. But I don't know your friends' phone numbers." 

"Honey, don't try anything if you're gonna get caught," Stevie said. "We don't want you locked in here with us." 

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," Ata said. 

"This cult, what do they do?," Richard said. " I'm sorry, I'm not up on my ancient Egyptian religions." 

"They hold ceremonies, pray to the gods, perform sacrifices." 

Stevie and Richard looked at each other. 

"Sacrifices," Stevie said. "Of people?" 

"No, birds and small animals." 

Richard relaxed a bit. He knew though that it wasn't a small leap to go from killing animals to killing people. He knew the sooner they got out of this nuthouse, the better. Ata looked at the door. 

"I better go. I don't know when people are coming back to get you. I'll be back though. Just eat your breakfast. You might need it." 

Richard didn't like the sound of that but he nodded and told her to be careful. Ata nodded. Richard and Stevie watched as she hurried to the door and went out. He sighed when he heard her lock the door. 

"Charming place," Richard said to Stevie before they resumed eating. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Ken pinched the bridge of his nose as he spoke to a Warner Brothers executive on the phone. No one had left for the studio and the exec was demanding why. Lindsey had answered the phone excitedly, only to be disappointed when he realized it wasn't Stevie or Richard. He handed the phone to Ken and he was sitting on the couch watching while Ken dealt with the pissed off suit. 

"Sir, you don't understand, my co-engineer and one of the band members was abducted last night. We're worried about them and no one is in any sort of shape to work." 

Ken sighed as he listened to the suit's response. 

"I understand that, sir. I realize Warners is paying for us to be in the studio and work but this is an emergency! Cut us some slack, please." 

Lindsey could tell from Ken's disgusted expression that the suit wasn't being sympathetic to their plight. His mind burned with hatred at the exec's behavior. Ken sighed again before giving in and telling him they'd be in the studio before saying goodbye and slamming the receiver down. 

"Son of a bitch!," he yelled, " God damn those greedy bastards. If one of them got kidnapped, I'm sure they wouldn't go in for work!" 

"How are we supposed to work without Stevie?," Lindsey said. 

"I guess we'll have to work on instrumentals for overdubs and hope that Stevie and Richard might try to call or go to the studio. Damn them! I guess I'll call Chris now. She's not gonna be happy about this." 

"I'll tell Mick and John," Lindsey said, getting up from the couch. 

Ken shook his head. Cursing under his breath, he picked up the phone and dialed Chris's number.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight 

Ata walked along the corridor , lost in her thoughts. She had told Richard the truth that coming here wasn't her idea. She thought the whole thing was a bunch of bullshit and she hated that she hadn't been old enough to move out and live on her own when her mom had this crazy idea. Her mom had always loved anything to do with ancient Egypt and that was cool, she did too. But her mom found out about the cult and began writing and phoning the high priest every day. The next thing she knew, they were packing to go out to San Francisco. Everyone thought she'd lost her mind and Ata agreed. 

Then they came to San Fran and her life became isolated and controlled every minute of the day. She hated the high priest, his disciples and their way of life. She viewed the high priest as a liar and a hypocrite and definitely evil. And now Stevie and Richard had been pulled into the insanity. Ata smiled, thinking about her new friends. They were both kind people and they seemed down to Earth. She was thrilled that they cared enough about her to take her with them when they escaped. That made her want to help them all the more.

The problem was getting help for them. No one would let her use the phone, no matter what she said. And the only time anyone left was if they were on a mission and the missions never included her. She still had the chloroform in her pouch. She thought about using it on one of the guards, drugging him before running out. The only problem is if the high priest found out she was trying to help Stevie and Richard, they could be tortured for it and that was the last thing she wanted. 

But she knew she didn't have much time. She lied when she told Richard she didn't know what the conversion ritual was like. In order to allow the gods to overtake their bodies, the high priest was planning to kill them, to empty their bodies so the gods could take possession of them. She didn't believe for a moment that the high priest could summon gods into Stevie and Richard's bodies but that didn't matter if he killed them first. She didn't know when the ritual would take place but it wasn't a year from now, she knew that. If he was going to help save her friends, she'd have to quickly come up with a plan and act on it before it was too late. 

Knowing the phone was hard to get to, she decided to try her luck with one of the guards. But still...the fact that Stevie and Richard might be punished troubled her. She couldn't leave them here to suffer. She fingered the keys in her pouch before deciding to free them so they could make a break for freedom together. Turning around, she headed back to their cell. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Richard sat with Stevie on the mattress while they waited for someone to return. They'd finished their meal which Richard found surprisingly good. Whoever cooked it did a great job. But he was beginning to regret it since his nerves was giving him an upset stomach. But he was trying to hold it together for Stevie's sake. She was calm at the moment but he could sense her apprehension and he hated that she was in this situation. He was determined to protect her at all costs. 

He and Stevie jerked their heads toward the door when they heard it unlocking. Richard hoped it was Ata but somehow doubted it. He heard Stevie swallow hard and he took her hand and gave it a squeeze. They held hands as the door opened and the man that delivered breakfast to them came in with another man who was shorter and less built than his companion. But like everyone else, his body was shaved, he was wearing a loincloth and he was wearing Egyptian makeup. Richard wondered how the cult members could tell each other apart. 

"You have been summoned," Breakfast Man said to them as Shorty stopped beside him. "You will follow us and if you resist, you'll be punished." 

"Leave Stevie alone, let me go alone," Richard said. 

The men didn't reply and just stared at them while they waited for them to get up. Richard sighed. 

"Yeah, didn't think that tactic would work," he muttered as he and Stevie stood up.  

They walked over to the men, still holding hands, drawing strength from each other. Then Richard saw movement outside the door and his breath caught in his throat when he saw Ata sneak into the room, folded handkerchief in hand. He realized what she was trying to do and he realized if they didn't help her, she would be a prisoner too. He knew it was now or never and he let go of Stevie's hand. He steeled himself, glanced at Ata and suddenly moved towards Breakfast Guy. Without warning, he hauled off and kicked up into his kilt, hitting his nuts. Breakfast Guy's eyes widened in shock before he dropped to the ground. 

Shorty was stunned for a few seconds before he moved towards Stevie. But Ata lunged at his back and shoved the handkerchief over his face. Stevie ran forward to help her while Richard fell on Breakfast Guy, kneeing him hard in the chest before he began punching him repeatedly in the face. Taking a cue from Richard, Stevie kicked Short up the kilt and smirked when her foot hit paydirt. She then lunged at his face as he fell to his knees and helped Ata hold the handkerchief over his nose until he finally passed out. She jerked her head towards Richard, intending to help him, but she saw that Richard had punched the other guy until he was unconscious. Richard was breathing heavily and he leaned back up, blood from Breakfast Man's bleeding nose on his knuckles. He looked over at Shorty and smirked. 

"Women's lib at work there," he said to Stevie while he pointed to Shorty. 

"Well, you gotta be tough when you deal with Lindsey Buckingham," she said. 

Richard nodded. The three of them got to their feet, ran out of the room, waited for Ata to lock the door and then all of them headed towards the nearest exit.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine 

(One hour later...) 

Ken scratched his head as he sat in his chair in front of the mixing board. Everyone was in the studio but after getting there, they decided not to work. Not only did they not have the heart to work when their friends were in trouble but they also did it as a form of protest. Apart from ordering pizzas, Ken and the band did nothing but sit and talk. 

They had also told the receptionist to inform them immediately if there was a phone call from Stevie or Richard. Unfortunately, there was no phone in the studio so Stevie and Richard couldn't call them directly. Ken held out hope that they would call but with each passing hour, that hope dwindled a little. Lindsey was sitting on the couch with Chris and John while Mick walked aimlessly around the room. Lindsey had his guitar and was noodling with it mindlessly. Finally, he stopped playing and let out an angry sigh. 

"I can't stand this waiting. I wish we could do something," he said while Mick stopped and listened. 

"So do I but without knowing where they are..." Ken said to him. 

"If only there was some way to reach them," Lindsey said, shaking his head. "This is driving me crazy. And on top of that, we were ordered into work." 

"Which is bollocks," Christine said. "Do they honestly expect us to ignore our friends and work on songs just so they can have their precious album to flog?" 

"Time is money to that lot, Chrissy," John said. "They don't give a fuck about Stevie and Richard." 

"I bet they'll give a fuck when Stevie and Richard end up dead," Lindsey said. 

Ken was about to respond to that when there was a knock on the studio door. The band members ran into the iso booth and shut the door, positioning themselves behind their instruments and making it look like they were busy as Ken got up and walked to the door. He opened it and saw the receptionist. 

"I'm sorry, Ken, but a young girl is here. Says she wants to see Fleetwood Mac and has info about Stevie and Richard?" 

The band members who had been listening at the open iso booth door looked at each other and hurried over to Ken. Ken told the receptionist to let the girl come back. The receptionist went back up front and a moment later, a young girl walked up to the door. She hesitated a moment, nervous, as Ken and the band looked her over. Ken looked at her white linen dress, leather sandals and Egyptian eye makeup and wondered if some movie studio was filming a biblical movie somewhere. Still, he smiled warmly at her and everyone stepped aside to let her inside. She looked at the band members with silent awe for a moment and then looked at Ken. 

"Hi, I take it from your expression you know who they are?," Ken said, pointing to the band members. 

"Yes. But I don't know you." 

"I'm Ken Caillat. I'm an engineer here working on their next album." 

"Oh, like Richard!" 

Ken and the band looked at one another. 

"You know where they are?," Ken said. 

"Yes. They're in San Fran, underground. They're prisoners of this cult and the high priest wants to kill them." 

Ken forced himself to remain calm as he heard Lindsey suck in his breath. 

"Did you tell the police this?," Ken asked. 

"I tried but they wouldn't listen. I think they think I'm crazy. I finally found a ride with a woman going to Sau...Sau..." 

"Sausalito," Ken said. 

"Yes. Sorry, I'm not originally from here. But after the police wouldn't listen, I told the lady to take me to the Record Plant studio. That's what Richard told me to say to someone when I ran out. But we tried to escape, all of us did but Richard and Stevie were caught at the exit. They told me to go on and get help so I did. I almost got taken too before I got away." 

"Can you lead us back?," Lindsey asked. 

"I think so. I tried to keep track of everything on the way here so I think I can find the way back. But they're gonna kill them if we don't hurry!" 

Ken cursed. 

"And I suppose we don't have time to call the cops.," Ken said to Ata. 

"I'm not sure but they know I got away so the high priest will probably kill them now before the cops find them." 

Ken was torn. He wanted professional help to accompany them but he realized that time was of the essence and every minute they spent waiting for the cops to come and explain everything was one minute less for their friends. He told this to the band, even though he already knew their response. 

"If they're going to die, we can't wait for the police," Mick said. "We have to risk going in and call the police later." 

The others murmured agreement and Ken nodded. Everyone grabbed their things and left the studio. Ken stopped on the way out to let the receptionist know they were leaving. Ken looked at Ata who was behind him and told her to follow him. They hurried to his car and Ken signaled to the others that Ata was riding with him. The others waited till he pulled out before following him. Ata began to direct him and the other cars followed Ken as he turned right. 

"So...who are you, what is this cult and what happened to Stevie and Richard? What do they want with them?" 

Ata divided her time between guiding Ken and answering his questions. Ken listened in a dumbfounded silence, not believing what he was hearing. Some weird Egyptian cult that wanted to kill his friends so they could become gods sounded like a fantasy novel. But with his friends' lives on the line, he couldn't afford to be sceptical now. 

"So, you tried to escape then?," Ken said, glancing at her while he drove. "What happened?" 

Ata gathered her thoughts before telling Ken about the escape attempt.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten 

(One hour earlier...) 

Ata held up her hand and stopped Stevie and Richard when they reached the end of the corridor. In front of them was another corridor that went in either direction. They listened but all they heard was each other's breathing. Ata crept closer to the corner and peeked around it. She looked both ways. Seeing the coast was clear, she beckoned to the others to follow her. Stevie grabbed Richard's hand and when he looked at her, she squeezed it. Richard smiled and squeezed back before they followed their friend into the next corridor. Ata took a couple of steps before stopping short. 

"What is it?," Richard said to her in a hushed voice. 

"I have an idea but I don't know if it'll work," Ata whispered, coming close to him and Stevie. 

"Any idea's better than nothing at this point. What is it?," he said softly. 

"I'm going to try to BS the guard but if it doesn't work, you should try to knock him out," she said, slipping the bottle of chloroform and handkerchief into his hands. "You're stronger than me. You beat on Tefnut until he was unconscious. You can hold on to the guard better than I could." 

"Okay," Richard said, nodding. "Stevie, help me hold the guard if that time comes so I can keep the handkerchief on his face." 

"Okay," Stevie said, nodding. 

"And you can help me too," Richard said to Ata. "You and Stevie can work together to hold him so I can knock him out." 

Ata nodded. She told Richard and Stevie to get in front of her and walk side by side. 

"Act like you're my captives," she said to her friends. "I'm gonna tell the guard the high priest wants you to go outside for a special morning ritual. But I don't know if it'll work since I'm only fourteen and not supposed to be around you or take you somewhere." 

"It's worth a try," Stevie said. 

"Yeah and if he doesn't buy it, we'll knock him out," Richard said. 

Ata nodded. Richard and Stevie got in front of her and clasped hands while they walked side by side with Ata walking close behind them. So far they hadn't seen anyone but as they turned out of the corridor into another one, Richard saw a doorway at the far end of it. Through the doorway was a staircase leading up and standing in front of the staircase was an extremely muscular man holding a spear. As with the others, the man was shaved, wearing makeup and dressed in a loincloth. 

"Too bad there's a dress code here. It's hard for us to fit in and conform when we don't look like Cleopatra," Richard muttered to Stevie while they walked towards the exit. 

"Maybe they'll shave you bald then since all the other men look the same," Stevie muttered teasingly. 

"No way," Richard muttered back, "They can't shave off my gorgeous hair, it took forever to get it this long and flowing." 

Stevie giggled softly at that and then bit her lip to keep the guard from hearing her. Once again, she was thankful Richard was there. Her friend's presence was giving her courage and strength and she said a silent prayer that their plan would succeed. 

As they neared the guard, Richard saw his attention shift onto them. A confused frown was on his face as he walked through the doorway and stopped in front of it. The spear he was carrying had a long bronze shaft that had some Egyptian designs and hieroglyphs etched into it. The business end was made of iron and was long, narrow, pointed at the tip and sharp. Richard had no doubt the man knew how to use the weapon and wouldn't hesitate to do so. He looked at the man's rugged, chiseled face and no nonsense expression and readied himself for a possible fight since he suddenly had a feeling the man wouldn't buy Ata's story. 

"Ata, what are you doing? What is this?," the man said, coming forward and pointing to Stevie and Richard. 

Richard was shocked. The man had a feminine sounding voice that definately did not match his face and body. He had to fight to keep from laughing at his mousy voice in case the man took offense and gutted him with the spear. Still, he wondered if the reason the man was so beefy was because of the mousy voice. 

Ata came around Richard and gestured to him and Stevie. 

"The high priest told me to take them outside," she said. "He wants to perform a ritual with them." 

"The high priest told YOU to escort them?" 

Richard tensed. He knew Mousy wasn't buying it. His hands inched closer to his jean pockets where the chloroform and handkerchief were hidden. He sensed Stevie stiffening when the man walked towards them, suspicion clearly written on his face. 

"Why are they not restrained then?," the man said, pointing to their unbound hands. 

"They are cooperating fully, Ay, and the high priest didn't order restraints." 

"Oh really?" 

Richard's hands moved closer to his pockets. Ay moved closer to Richard and looked directly into his eyes. Richard quickly lowered his eyes, pretending to be submissive, while he tensed for the fight he knew was coming. Ay looked at him and Stevie. 

"I think I'll go out with you and keep an eye on them. Then when the high priest comes, I'm going to verify..." 

"NOW!" 

Knowing the ruse was useless, Richard bellowed as loud as he could, stunning Ay long enough for Richard to clock him in the jaw. Richard gritted his teeth when his fist connected with bone and pain shot through his hand. But Ay staggered back, dropping his spear, and Ata and Stevie rushed forward to grab him. To Richard's dismay, Ay was strong enough that he shook them off and both of them fell to the floor. Richard tried to kick up his kilt but Ay  stepped back towards the doorway, blocking it with his massive body as he kicked the spear backwards towards the staircase. 

"HELP! THE PRISONERS ARE ESCAPING! DOOR 3! HURRY!" 

Richard cursed as he heard men shouting in the distance. He needed time to get in his pocket and get the handkerchief but Ay rushed towards him and tried to land a haymaker on his jaw. Richard ducked just in time and swung back. Ay  jumped back, smirking when Richard missed but he grunted when Stevie's fist hit the side of his head. He growled and turned towards her, his fist balled up. He grunted when Ata hit him in the back and he glanced at her. 

"You little traitor, you'll suffer for this!," he growled at her. 

"Not if you suffer first, Helium Breath," Richard said before his foot shot out and kicked his right knee. 

Ay yelled in pain as the foot found its target. Stevie glanced at the spear and made a run for it but Ay grabbed her by the hair. Stevie screamed in pain as he jerked her backwards. Richard let out an enraged yell and rushed forward with the handkerchief in hand. He pressed himself against his back, trying to get the handkerchief around to his nose while Ata and Stevie tried to restrain him. But At was too strong for them and he pushed the women away. But Richard finally found his nose and clamped the handkerchief over it. By now, the men were nearly to the door and Richard knew they had less than a minute before Mousy had help. 

Stevie, thinking the same way, tried again to restrain Ay  but Ay shoved her hard. Stevie was propelled back into the corridor wall. Richard gasped when her head hit it hard enough that Stevie's eyes rolled up into her head and she lost conciousness. Richard, knowing he or Ata couldn't carry Stevie and get away, did the only thing he could think of. 

"Run," he said to Ata, "go now before it's too late!" 

"No, I'm not leaving you guys behind!" 

Richard glanced over his shoulder and saw five men turn the corner and make a beeline for them. He could feel Ay finally weaken as the chloroform took hold but with the five extra men, he knew the fight was lost. 

"Go now. Get to safety and tell someone to take you to the Record Plant studio in Sausalito. Hopefully, my friends are there. Now go!" 

Ata hesitated, seeing the pleading look on Richard's face. Silently vowing to come back for them, she ran to the spear, snatched it up and ran up the stairs as the five men surrounded Richard and subdued him.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven 

Ken shut his eyes briefly in anguish when Ata finished her story. He hated that Stevie had been knocked unconscious and Richard had to sacrifice himself to stay with her and let Ata get away but he knew Richard and it came as no surprise to him that he'd done that. He took comfort in the fact that Richard and Stevie wouldn't have been killed, at least not right away, since they were valuable to this cult's plans but with the escape attempt, he was sure whatever time his friends may have had before the ritual was now gone. 

"You said you barely got away," Ken said, glancing at Ata. 

"Yeah. One of them followed me up the stairs so I ran as fast as I could. I was faster than he was though and he eventually gave up and went back." 

"But that probably means they'll be watching for you now," Ken said. "What about the spear?" 

"I hid it behind a dumpster in an alley near their headquarters." 

"Lead us there. We can park near the alley and get the spear. I have a feeling we'll need it. Where is their headquarters? You said they're underground but where?" 

"I'm not sure but it looked like a  huge park near the water. There were buildings on the surface too and roads and a cemetery, I think. The headquarters is a military bunker and when I told Richard that, he thought it might be called the Presidio?" 

Ken nodded. 

"Sounds right. The Presidio is a military base. Or it used to be until recently. Now its a park and it's exactly like you described. But it's huge so you'll have to lead us back to the entrance to the headquarters. Do you remember how to get back to it?" 

"I think so. I looked around as I was running and I remember what I saw." 

"Good, because Stevie and Richard's lives are hanging by a thread now and we can't afford to get lost looking for the entrance." 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Richard was marched through the corridors by two of the men who came to Ay's defense while a third,  stronger one carried Stevie's unconscious body in his arms. The two men with him were on either side of his body, gripping his arms like a vice while another man followed behind the group. The last man had stayed behind with the groggy Ay, helping him go to the medical ward. Richard kept glancing at Stevie, worried that someone would hurt or worse, rape her. He felt responsible for not protecting her and he swore silently that he'd kill anyone that hurt her. 

After ten minutes, the men finally took them into a large room. The room was made of concrete like everything else but the walls had been painted with Egyptian artwork of the kind Richard had seen on artifacts in museums. Around the paintings was hieroglyphic lettering. There were flaming torches mounted on the walls around the room so the room wasn't lit brightly but off to the right, a bunch of large white pillows were on the floor and ten scantily dressed women were reclining on them, laughing, talking and eating fruit. They paused momentarily to gaze at Richard and a few of them gave him lascivious looks and smiled.   
In the center of the room was a wooden dias and on top of it was a golden throne with carved lion heads on the armrests and carved lion feet at the bottom of the legs. The lion heads had ruby eyes that glittered in the firelight and looking around, Richard had the impression he'd traveled back in time to an Egyptian throne room. Deducing this was probably Pamu's throne room, he looked at the reclining women and guessed they were the concubines Ata mentioned. He studied the women, trying to find one who could be Ata's mother. He picked one out who he thought resembled her. 

"Are you Ata's mother?," he said, locking eyes with her. 

He grunted when the man behind him slammed his open palm into his back and knocked the wind out of him. 

"Be silent!," the man said. 

"Fuck you," Richard said before he could stop himself. 

He gritted his teeth when the man on his left punched the side of his head in response. 

"No, wait, leave him alone." 

The woman Richard addressed had stood up and was holding out her hand to stop the men while the other women lay on the pillows and watched her. She stepped through them and walked towards Richard. 

"You know my daughter?," she said when she stopped in front of Richard. 

"Yes. She became friends with me and Stevie and helped us escape...or tried anyway." 

"Why?" 

"Why?," Richard said in disbelief. "Because she's a nice person who has actual common sense and she doesn't wanna be here in all this stupidity. Now I'll ask you something, lady. Why aren't you being her mother and protecting her instead of leaving her to be abused and controlled while being some nutcase's concubine? She needs you and you're pretending its 3000 B.C. Get your mind back on the twentieth century and back on your daughter! You really think the abduction of two people with the purpose of turning them into gods is a sane, rational idea? Wake up, idiot!" 

He grunted when the man in the back slammed his palm into his backside before telling him again to be quiet. 

"You don't understand," the woman said. 

"No, you don't understand. This is wrong. My friend and me are innocent and no one but your daughter seems to care. I don't blame her for wanting to leave, I'd do the same if I were abandoned in the midst of a bunch of lunatics." 

He shut up when he heard the door open behind him. Everyone except the men holding him and the man holding Stevie fell to the floor and prostrated themselves. 

"Jesus," Richard groaned. "Get me back among sane people, please." 

Pamu walked by Richard, glancing and smirking at him while he did. Richard was sorry he was restrained because he longed to pounce on him and beat the crap outta him. Pamu then noticed Ata's mother prostrating at Richard's feet. Richard smirked now when Pamu stared at her in confusion for a moment before he headed on to his throne. He set himself down on it in a regal manner, waited till everyone stopped groveling and rose and gave Richard a pompous look before ordering him and Stevie to be brought forward Richard glared at Ata's mom as they passed by her and he thought he saw a hint of guilt on her face. 

Good, you should feel guilty, bitch, he thought. 

They were brought before the throne and Richard gasped when Pamu ordered Stevie to be dropped and their guards to leave them and the man holding Stevie dropped her like a sack of potatoes and walked away without a care. Amazingly, Richard felt the men letting go of his arms and Pamu sat there as they walked away, daring Richard to do something. Richard knew the moment he tried something, he would be seized and possibly beaten so instead, he knelt down beside Stevie and straightened her out. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, especially Pamu, as he gathered her into his arms and stood back up. 

"You do care for her," Pamu said. 

"I told you I did and it's a good thing too since no one else does around here." 

"You know that you both will be punished now for trying to escape." 

"No I didn't know that but it doesn't surprise me. A cruel man like you probably gets his rocks off torturing people. What about Ata?" 

"She will be punished too." 

"Hear that, Ata's mom?," Richard yelled as he kept his eyes on Pamu. 

Pamu was amused by his outburst which pissed Richard off but he could feel Ata's mother coming up behind him. Pamu's eyes shifted to her as she walked up beside Richard and stopped. 

"What is it, Nefer?," Pamu said to her while Richard watched her. 

"My Lord, my daughter is young and foolish, spare her please." 

"No. Your daughter's actually the smart one around here," Richard muttered under his breath. 

"Your daughter is old enough to understand the consequences of her actions, Nefer, so there will be no sparing her from punishment." 

"Of course not," Richard said. "Because that would involve compassion, which you do not have. Ata or Rachael as she should be known, has more brains and compassion than you'll ever have. She's the one who should be ruling here, not you!" 

"How dare you address me in that manner!" 

"Yeah, I know. I have a problem with showing respect to people who don't respect me. Or want to turn me into some fictional, fairytale god. Which by the way, doesn't a god trump a high priest? Shouldn't I be sitting on the throne and ordering you to be punished?" 

He smirked when Pamu glowered at him. 

"You are not a god, you are merely the vessel. You and she will be put to death so that your bodies can be emptied for Osiris and Isis." 

"Really? Then I guess I have nothing to lose by sassing off to you then. Unless you're going to kill me before you kill me. As for Stevie, I'd advise against killing her unless you want Lindsey Buckingham on your case." 

"Ah yes, the boyfriend." 

"Yes, the boyfriend. The boyfriend with a huge protective streak and equally huge temper who will tear your limbs off and shove them up your ass if you do something to his girl." 

It was deadly quiet in the room and Richard sensed that was because no one had ever talked to Pamu the way he had. He glanced at Nefer and noticed even she was in shock. But he figured if this was it and he was going to die with Stevie, he might as well have his final say. Just then, Stevie groaned and Richard watched while she slowly stirred. Richard looked at Pamu who was smirking. 

"Good. She's awakening. That means she can be punished first. We'll see how flippant you are when the woman you love is screaming in agony."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve 

Ata breathed a sigh of relief when she looked behind the dumpster and found the spear where she left it. Ken and the others were standing nearby. Ken had briefly filled them in on what Ata had told him, watching the disbelief and disgust on his friends' faces. 

"Our friends are going to become bleeding Egyptian gods? That's why they were taken?," Mick said, anger consuming his mind. "They're gonna die because some nutter wanks off to Egyptian gods?" 

"At least he's being original," Chris said. " He didn't take them because he's a crazed fan." 

Lindsey looked at the spear in Ata's hand when she walked up to them and held out his hand. 

"Give me that please, I want the honor of ramming Egypt Boy in the gut." 

"And you will refrain from being overzealous and ramming us in the gut instead?," Mick said. 

"I think I can tell the difference between you and Mister Crazy, Mick," Lindsey said dryly. "But in case you think I'm some kind of viking berserker, I'll do my very best not to hit you in the middle of my blind frenzy." 

"Guys, I believe the Presidio is this way," Ken said, hooking his thumb over his shoulder. "Now that we have the spear, we should get going." 

"Wait!" 

Everyone looked at John when he spoke. He held up his hands.

"I'm not saying this to be a coward but now that we have an idea of where they are, shouldn't someone stay behind and ring the police and lead them to these nutters?" 

"I agree but we don't know where they are inside the Presidio," Lindsey said. "It's a huge park." 

"We could all go in," Christine said. "Once we find the entrance, one of us leaves to go ring the police." 

"Which should be you," Mick said to Christine. 

"No, I'm going in there," Christine said. "I'm just as capable as you lot and I'm fighting for my friends." 

"Don't look at me, I'm not running away from this fight," Lindsey said. 

Everyone except John agreed with that. They looked at John and he shrugged. 

"It's why I said I'm not being a coward. I'll go if you lot don't mind. Somebody has to, might as well be me." 

"Okay," Ken said, "but keep your eyes peeled for people prowling the park, looking for Ata or anyone else." 

John nodded. 

"Well, what are we waiting for?," Mick said. "let's go get our friends back!" 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"Did I mention I missed Lindsey and his ranting and raving?" 

Richard and Stevie were sitting on the mattress inside their cell. After Pamu ordered them returned to their cell, the men had returned and roughly escorted them back. They shoved them inside and shut and locked the door. Now there was nothing to do except wait. 

"At least Lindsey lived in the here and now," Richard added. "And he dressed like a normal person." 

"What are they going to do to us?" 

"Kill us eventually. Apparently the gods can't inhabit our bodies if were occupying them. Other than that, I don't know, Stevie." 

"I wish they'd just get it over with then." 

Richard took her hand. 

"Don't give up yet. Ata...I mean, Rachael apparently escaped. Hopefully, She'll lead help to us." 

"Including our friends? What if they try to rescue us by themselves. They could get themselves killed. Especially Lindsey. He won't sit back and let someone else do it, not with our lives at stake." 

"I know but there's nothing we can do to stop him or anyone else. We just have to hope for the best." 

"What are they waiting for? I thought we were supposed to be punished," Stevie said. 

"Dunno. Unless everyone is out hunting for Rachael. Or maybe he's amping up the fear by making us wait." 

"If he is, he's doing a good job," Stevie said. 

"Stevie, I'm sorry I got you into this mess. If I hadn't invited you to dinner, you wouldn't have been there." 

"And you'd have been alone dealing with this. No, I'd rather be here with you than worrying if you're alive or dead." 

"I've tried to protect you, I wasn't always successful with that either." 

"But you're only one man, Richard, and there's a building full of these creeps. Quit beating yourself up. You've kept watch over me here and I'm grateful to you for that." 

"Thanks, Stevie," he said as she squeezed his shoulder and kissed his cheek. 

"You want me to stay positive so you do the same. No stinkin' thinkin', Dashut!" 

Richard smiled. 

"Yes, ma'am," he said, giving her a little salute. 

"Besides, when we get out of here, we'll have a laugh about this with our friends about being kidnapped by the Kojak Convention." 

Richard chuckled. 

"Sure it's not the Mister Clean Convention instead?" 

Stevie laughed. She took Richard's hand and squeezed it. 

"I've been thinking," Stevie said, glancing at Richard. 

"Yeah? What kind of thinking?" 

"If they're so hung up on ancient Egypt, why are they speaking English and not ancient Egyptian?" 

"That's a good point. Plus, I'm sure our breakfast was not authentic either." 

"Or this," Stevie said, patting the mattress. 

"They slacked off on the research, methinks," Richard said, nodding."If you're gonna recreate ancient Egypt, go all the way I say, otherwise..." 

He trailed off when they heard someone unlocking the door. Stevie drew closer to Richard and he put his arm around her as he steeled himself for the worse. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"It's this way." 

Ata pointed ahead of her while everyone followed her through Presidio Park. So far they hadn't seen anyone which raised a lot of red flags for Ken. Someone ran off after an escape attempt and the park wasn't crawling with people on the hunt for her. It didn't make sense which was why Ken was wary. He glanced at Lindsey beside him. Lindsey was carrying the spear and was acting as a bodyguard for Ata, his eyes scanning every direction while they walked. Mick and John were in the rear and Christine was in the middle. Ken didn't like that she was here or Ata for that matter. He wasn't trying to be sexist, it was just that male instinct to protect women and keep them out of danger. But they needed Ata to guide them and he knew nothing short of knocking Chris out would keep her from joining in the fight. 

They were walking through a small cluster of trees when they suddenly saw a bald man emerge from a trap door embedded in the ground. As he came up, they could see a second bald man following him.  

"I take it that's the entrance to the lair?," Ken whispered to Ata. 

Ata nodded. They watched while the last man came up onto the surface and lowered the trap door. Once it was fully lowered, the door blended in with the surrounding grass and was indistinguishable from the rest of the lawn. 

"Clever," Ken muttered. 

He turned to John. 

"Go!," he mouthed to him, pointing back the way they came. 

John nodded, quietly wished everyone luck and hurried back the way he came. They watched him go before everyone turned their attention back to the men. The two men had gone in opposite directions and everyone stepped back further into the shadows when they started looking around. 

"Got any ideas, anyone," Lindsey said softly as they watched them. 

" I do." 

Everyone looked at Mick. He got them into a huddle and whispered his plan to them. After he was finished, they watched while Lindsey inched towards the trunk of a nearby tree. He hesitated a moment before hitting the shaft of the spear against the tree trunk. It made a loud TWACK that got both mens' attention instantly. The men froze and looked their way as everyone went further into the shadows. Lindsey glanced at everyone and hit the tree trunk again. This time, the men reached for sheaths tied to leather belts around their waists and withdrew daggers with silver hilts. Lindsey snorted as he glanced at His much longer spear. He smirked and hit the tree trunk again. 

"Come here, you bastards," Lindsey muttered as the men headed towards the trees. 

Everyone got behind the trees closest to them as the men stopped on the outskirts and peered in. The men held their daggers out in front of them as they slowly entered the grove. Everyone pressed up against the trunks. As they did, Chris, who was hiding behind the tree beside Ken, spotted a fallen limb behind her. The limb was about three inches thick and Christine slowly inched towards it and kneeled down to retrieve it while Ken watched. By now, the men were past Christine and heading for Mick's position. Suddenly, Ata, who was across the way from Ken, jumped out into the open. 

"Hey, idiots, looking for me?," she said. 

The men spun around. 

"Ata, don't move or we'll kill you," the man on the right said. 

"You wouldn't kill me, Ramses, you don't have the guts," Ata said. "You're a big, old pussy!" 

Ramses growled. 

"We'll see about that, bitch," Ramses snarled. 

He and the other man ran towards her but they were so intent on getting to her, they didn't see Christine run out with the limb raised over her head till she was right behind them. Ramses grunted when she slammed the limb down on his skull and he fell to the ground, stunned. The other man raised his dagger and froze when he felt a spear blade poking his cheek. 

"Mine's bigger than yours is," Lindsey said in a singsong voice as he poked the man's cheek with the tip of the spear. "Chris, if you'll do the honors..." 

Chris smirked and raised the limb above her head. 

"For Stevie and Richard, you demented sod " she said before bringing the limb down as hard as she could on his skull. 

Once again, the blow only stunned instead of rendering him unconscious. Ken walked up to Christine and held out his hand. 

"Watch me or you'll never learn," he said with an impish smile. 

Chris smiled and handed him the limb. Ken walked over to Ramses who had recovered enough to start getting to his feet. He jerked his head up in alarm when Ken raised the limb over his head. 

"Nighty night, Jackass!," he said before he slammed the limb down on his skull. 

Ramses grunted and fell back to the ground, unconscious. 

"That is how you do it," Ken said to Christine. "And now...," he added, turning to the second man. 

"Wait, no," the man said, raising his hand as he raised himself up on one elbow. "I can help you." 

"Yes, you can help us," Mick said. "You can help us by blacking out." 

"Where are our friends?," Ken said. "Talk or I'll bash your fucking brains out!" 

"After I stab him in the balls," Lindsey said, showing the terrified man the spear. 

"They're locked up in their cell. The high priest wanted to wait till we got Ata back to torture them." 

"So they haven't been tortured yet or harmed in any way?," Mick said. 

"No. At least not when I left." 

"Ata, do you know where they're being held?," Ken asked her. 

"Yes and I have the key to the door in my pouch," she said, patting her pouch. 

"Good, that means we don't need you then," Ken said, raising the limb up. 

"No! Please, I can help. I can get you in safely if you pretend to be my prisoners. I'll lead you back to the cells and no one will stop you if I'm there." 

Everyone looked at each other. 

"Thoughts, guys?," Ken said. 

"I think he's untrustworthy,"Christine said. "I say we knock him out." 

"So do I," Lindsey said. 

"If you do help us, you gonna betray us at the first sign of your mates?," Mick growled at the man. 

"No, I won't do that, I swear. Please." 

"Ata, do you know him?," Ken said to her. 

Ata nodded and stepped forward. 

"Tefnut. Richard already beat him up though," Ata said. 

"Really? Good for Rich then," Ken said. 

Ata bent over and looked Tefnut square in the eyes. 

"You harm my friends or get us caught, I stab you myself," she said before prying the dagger out of his fingers. 

Mick picked up the other dagger and handed it to Christine. Christine looked at him. 

"You don't have a weapon though," she said. 

"I'll use me fists and feet if I have to, love. Don't worry about me." 

Ken ordered Tefnut to stand. Lindsey put the spear at his back once he was up and all of them walked towards the trapdoor.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen 

Richard stood up, bracing himself for a fight as the cell door opened. He'd already decided that they'd torture Stevie over his dead body and he wasn't going to let anyone lay a hand on her. But when the door opened, Richard was surprised to see Nefer come inside. 

"Oh the irony," Richard said as Stevie stood up behind him. "Making the concubine do his dirty work. Lady, I'm more than a match for you." 

"No, wait. I'm not here on the high priest's orders," Nefer said, shutting the door. "I thought about what you said and you're right. I need to start acting like a mother again." 

"Hooray. Someone finally sees reason around here," Richard said. 

"And I'm here to help you escape," she said, reaching into her pouch. 

Richard raised his eyebrows when she took a revolver out of them it and handed it to him. 

"Bit high tech for this place, don't you think?," he said to Nefer. 

"It belongs to the high priest, I took it from his bedroom. The concubines are one of the few people who are allowed in there." 

Richard could guess why the concubines were allowed in the bedroom but he kept that to himself. He checked that the safety was off on the revolver before he reached around back, tucked it into the waistband of his jeans and pulled his shirt down over it to conceal it. 

"Good thing no one dressed me like the cult members," he said to Stevie, pointing to his shirt. 

"Follow me, I'll take you to the exit." 

"Wait," Stevie said, "we tried this before and it didn't work." 

"What did you do the last time?" 

"We pretended to be Rachael's captives and they didn't buy it. And yes, I called her Rachael," Richard added when he saw the surprise on Nefer's face. "I'm calling her by her real name not some stupid made up Egyptian one. And having said that, what's your real name?" 

"Diane." Richard nodded. 

"Okay, Diane, so what's your plan for getting out?" 

"We walk out. If we're stopped, you use the gun." 

"Sounds like a plan to me. Okay, ladies, let's get the hell outta here." 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Ata looked at everyone as they stood around Tefnut near the entrance to the compound. What had seemed like a good idea a moment ago suddenly lost its luster when they realized that... 

A) In order to look like prisoners, they'd have to get rid of their weapons. 

And 

B) In order to look like prisoners, they'd have to give their prisoner a weapon. 

No one fully trusted Tefnut, even though he kept protesting that he wasn't going to betray them. In the end though, Mick realized they were wasting time debating. 

"Look, there's five of us and one of him. If he tries something, we can overpower him. Lindsey, give him the spear. Ata and Chris, hide the daggers somewhere. Ken...um...," he said, looking at the tree limb. 

Ken sighed angrily and tossed the limb away. 

"I can use my fists anyway," Ken muttered. 

Lindsey reluctantly gave the spear to Tefnut while Ata put the dagger in her pouch with the hilt sticking up out of the top. He told Tefnut to give Christine his sheath and after Tefnut passed it to her, she put the dagger inside it and tucked the sheath into the waistband of her jeans, concealing it with her shirt. Once everyone was ready, Ata knelt down, found an iron handle concealed in the grass and pulled up on it. The heavy door rose up on a hinge and they saw a concrete staircase below it. Ken and the band looked at each other before they and Ata reluctantly moved in front of Tefnut and headed down. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Richard and Stevie looked around as they followed Nefer towards the exit. So far they hadn't seen anyone, which surprised Richard since he thought they'd have guard patrols after their escape attempt. He reasoned that was probably the reason Nefer decided to try the escape attempt now. When he finally decided to ask why, Nefer informed him that all the men were at a ritual with the high priest. 

"Even the guards?," Stevie said. 

"Yes. All men must attend," Nefer said. 

"So...no guards at all?," Richard said, hope reigniting in his heart. 

"What about the women? They're not watched?," Stevie said. 

"The high priest thinks women are weak and brainless." 

"Well, he needs to get to know Stevie and Christine better," Richard said while Stevie smiled at that. "In fact, I know several women who are anything but weak and brainless." 

"But if he wants to think that, let him," Stevie said. "Makes it easier for us." 

They reached the corner of the T junction and paused. Nefer inched forward and stuck her head around the corner. She quickly jerked it back. 

"One of the men is up the hallway," she said. 

"He is?," Stevie said. "I thought you said all men were at the ritual." 

Nefer thought. 

"Oh, he did send two men out to search for my daughter. He's back now and he has my daughter and some other people as prisoners." 

"Other people? Is one of the other people really tall with brown shoulder length hair?" 

Stevie groaned when she nodded. 

"You said only one guard?," Richard said. 

Nefer nodded and Richard grabbed the gun. 

"One guard is about to go down then," he said, readying himself. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Ken glanced around as they walked down the corridor. So far there were no sign of guards or anyone else. He wondered why no one seemed to care about defending the bunker, especially if there were escape attempts and people on the loose. Still, he wasn't going to quibble if it meant they'd be able to rescue their friends without any interference. 

They reached an intersection and Tefnut told them to turn right into the next corridor. Ken did and gasped when he suddenly was staring at the barrel of a gun. His eyes widened when he saw Richard holding it with Stevie and another woman standing behind him. Joy radiated to the core his being and he heard his friends gasp as they turned into the corridor and saw what he saw. 

"Stevie!" 

Lindsey ran past Ken and Stevie opened her arms and embraced him. 

"Stevie, oh God, you're alive!," Lindsey moaned before he shared a passionate kiss with her. 

Ken noticed Richard had the gun pointed at Tefnut now, determination written on his face. 

"Richard, it's okay, he's with us...for the moment," Ken said to him. 

Richard slowly lowered the gun and put it back in his waistband before Ken embraced him. 

"Good to see ya, buddy," Ken said. 

"Yeah, you too," Richard said, letting go of him. "Where's John though?" 

"Went to call the police and lead them here." 

"Where's here?" 

"The Presidio." 

"Thought so," Richard said, nodding. 

Ken stepped back and watched while the band embraced their missing friends. He noticed Ata was staring at the unfamiliar women warily though when she started towards her with arms open. 

"Stay away from me, mom," Ata said, backing up towards Ken. 

"Rachael, I'm sorry. I've been an idiot, please forgive me." 

"Rachael, is that your real name?," Ken said. 

"Yeah, everyone was given retarded Egyptian names when we joined. Isn't that right...Nefer," she said to her mother in a snotty tone of voice. 

"Baby, I'm sorry. I realized my mistake. I helped them escape," she said, gesturing to Richard and Stevie.   
Ata glanced at her friends. Richard was hugging Christine while she rubbed his back and Lindsey and Stevie were snogging each other senseless as Mick watched in a bemused silence. Richard glanced over while he held Christine, caught Ata's eye and smiled at her. Ata pointed to Stevie and Lindsey. She giggled when Richard saw them for the first time and rolled his eyes. 

"Stevie, you wanna take Romeo back to our room. There is a mattress in there," he said. 

Stevie and Lindsey pulled apart sheepishly while Mick sniggered. 

"Just...happy to see her," Lindsey said. 

"Yes, I can tell that," Richard said dryly. "So...no lip lock for me then?" 

Lindsey chuckled. Christine stepped back and Lindsey embraced his friend. 

"Good to see ya, Rich. I'm glad you're alive but I'll refrain from a lip lock with you." 

"Damn and I was looking forward to it," Richard said. 

"Hey, where'd our prisoner go?" 

Everyone turned around when Christine pointed to the end of the corridor. Ken groaned when he realized Tefnut and the spear were gone. 

"Shit! Reunion time's over, guys," Ken said. Let's haul ass outta here before we all end up prisoners!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen 

"Damn it, I knew the prick was lying," Ken said as they hurried back towards the exit. 

They turned the corner and stopped when they saw Tefnut standing ten feet away with Pamu and several other men. All the men had spears, except for Pamu who had another revolver. Richard grabbed his revolver and pointed at them. 

"I got a gun too, Baboo," Richard said. 

"It's Pamu!," Pamu snarled. 

"Whatever. It's not your real name anyway, let us go or you'll get a hole in the head." 

Pamu smirked when more men joined them in the corridor. Lindsey's eyes boggled when he noticed they all looked alike. 

"Jesus, the bald look is pretty popular around here," Lindsey said. 

"Yes, Dippidy-Doo has a dress code here," Richard said. 

"My name is...," 

"Pamu. Yeah, I got it. I was mocking you, idiot," Richard growled at him. 

"The police are on their way, mate, so you might as well surrender," Mick said. 

"You're bluffing," Pamu said. 

Richard noticed with glee though that Pamu seemed unsure of that. 

"Actually no, we have a friend contacting them as we speak," Mick said smugly. "And our friend knows where that entrance is," he added, hooking his thumb back over his shoulder at the stairs. "So I suggest you lot start running before you're caught." 

"That's right, Tefnut," Ken said when he noticed the worried look on his face. "Kidnapping is a veeeery serious offense that'll get you jail time." 

"Not to mention assault," Richard said. "He's right. If any of you guys don't want to end up in jail, you better start running." 

"Stay where you are," Pamu said to his men when they glanced at one another. "I command you!" 

"I mean, you guys really wanna go down with Achoo here and end up being taken up the ass in a jail cell?," Richard said, enjoying how scared the men were becoming. 

"Yeah," Lindsey said, "there is that pick up the soap in the shower thing they always mention in prison movies and big, burly guys making someone their bitch. Not to mention the big, burly guys beating up people. Sounds horrible if you ask me." 

"Attack them, you morons!," Pamu cried at the panicking men. 

"Morons, is that an Egyptian term?," Richard asked Stevie while she snickered. 

Suddenly one man bolted towards the exit and his flight prompted the others to follow suit. Everyone moved aside, watching with glee as everyone except Pamu sprinted to the stairs. They watched them for a second and then looked at Pamu who was now all alone. 

"Oops, your men have fled," Mick said. "Guess they weren't under your absolute control after all." 

"You'll pay for this," Pamu said, aiming the gun at them. "I'll kill all of you..." 

He trailed off. The men had run out of the building but now they were running back the other way in a blind panic. Pamu's eyes widened when he saw twenty police men and women following them. Everyone pointed to Pamu and yelled at the police to stop him. Pamu took off running as the police have chase while nabbing the other men. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

"John, we owe you a seven course meal," Ken said as he and his friends stood outside near the opened trapdoor. 

John smiled, his arm around Stevie. 

"I'll definitely hold you to that," he said to them. 

They had been interviewed by the police while others brought up Pamu and the other cult members in handcuffs and escorted them away to a paddy wagon. Richard took delight in the murderous look Pamu gave him and Stevie as he was being led away and he waved cheerfully to him as he passed by. 

As for Ata and Nefer, the band declined to press charges against them, explaining that they'd helped all of them. So Ata and her mother stood with their friends, watching the cult members walk past them. 

"So...now that we're all safe, back to work," Ken said, slapping his hands. "Seriously," he said when Richard eyed him. "Warners ordered us to work today, with or without you and Stevie." 

"What?," Stevie said, " They didn't care that we were missing and being threatened with death?" 

"Nope," Ken said, shrugging. "They want their album done so they can sell it." 

"Damn, why didn't I keep the gun instead of giving it to the cop," Richard said. 

Ken chuckled. Since the police were finished with them, he and everyone else turned and headed out of the park.


	15. Epilogue

Epilogue

(2017...) 

Colbie stared at her father after he finished the story. 

"You are so full of it, Dad," she said to Ken. "That didn't really happen." 

"It did too. That really happened to Richard and Stevie." 

"Sure, it did," Colbie said, rolling her eyes. 

"Here, I'll prove it to you. Hang on." 

Ken got up, left the living room and returned a few minutes later with his laptop. He set on the coffee table, turned it on and accessed Skype. A moment later, he was linked to Richard as he sat as the computer in his house. 

"What'd ya want, ya old geezer, I was looking at porn," Richard said. 

He laughed when Colbie scooted closer to her father and he saw her. 

"Scratch that," Richard said, pretending to panic. "Did I say porn? No, I'd never do that. I was listening to Colbie's music, honestly." 

He smiled fondly at Colbie when she giggled at that. 

"So...what's up besides my cholesterol?," Richard said. 

"Uncle Rich, I asked Dad to tell a story about something weird that happened to you guys and he tells me this ridiculous story about how you and Stevie got kidnapped by some Ancient Egyptian cult so they could turn you into gods. Is that really true?" 

"Yes. I'm surprised your dad told you that story but yes, it's true." 

"See, I told you," Ken said, pointing at the laptop screen. 

"I...I can't believe it," Colbie said. 

"It's true, Colbie, I swear," Richard said. 

Richard thought for a moment as he drummed his fingers on the table in front of him. Then he snapped his fingers. 

"You guys come to dinner tonight. I'll prove to you it happened," Richard said. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

(Five hours later...) 

Richard opened the front door of his house and smiled at Ken, Colbie and Diane. 

"Come in, guys, make yourselves at home," he said, opening the door wide to let them inside. 

He hugged Diane and waited till she left to go greet his wife, Kong. 

"So, where is this proof, Uncle Rich?," Colbie asked him. 

"In the living room. Follow me," he said. 

He led them to the living room and Colbie saw an unfamiliar woman sitting on the couch. She was in her 50s with short brown hair that was grating. She had a slightly lined face but there was a sparkle in her brown eyes and a youthful radiance emanating from her. Ken came up beside his daughter and put his arm around her. 

"Colbie, may I introduce to you Rachael Forman, also known as Ata." 

Colbie's eyes boggled as Rachael stood up. 

"God, been a long time since I heard that name," she said, walking over to Ken. 

She embraced him and shook Colbie's hand, telling her she loved her music. Colbie thanked her, stunned to meet the adult version of the teenaged girl who helped her friends. 

"I was telling my daughter the story of how we met you," Ken said. "She didn't believe it happened so Richard is giving her proof." 

"That's all? I thought you wanted me to come to dinner," Rachael said. 

"Well, that too," Richard said, kissing her cheek. 

"So you guys did keep in contact with her after it ended?" 

"Yes, we did," Richard said, putting his arm around Rachael. "We helped her and her mother out, find an apartment in San Fran, get settled and Stevie helped put her through college." 

"Where she met her husband, Brad Forman," Ken added. 

"Still happily married now," Rachael said. "And we have a daughter named Stephanie who's at USC right now." 

"You named her after Stevie?," Colbie said. 

Rachael nodded. 

"She's an honorary aunt too," Rachael said. 

"What happened to Pamu then?" 

"Shamu was sent to a psych ward and I'm thinking he's still there now. Good riddance to him," Richard said while Rachael nodded. 

"What about your mom? Is she still alive?" 

"Yeah, she's in her 70s now but she's still with us. She remarried and has a house in Long Beach. She also got over that whole Ancient Egypt is the best nonsense. And she became close to these guys too, even though she felt like she didn't deserve to be close at first. But everyone forgave her and she's still close to everyone." 

"Satisfied now that I told you the truth," Ken asked Colbie. 

"Yeah, I believe you now," Colbie said. 

"Great. Now that's out of the way, would anyone like a drink?," Richard said as they turned and headed towards the kitchen. 

THE END.


End file.
